Click!
by queenlocksley
Summary: [Modern AU Outlaw Queen] Robin Hood is a photographer in New York City and one morning he discovers a photograph of a woman. But the photo was taken in the future (or at least it's time stamp is) and it appears it is Robin's photo, someday. Photo in hand he sets out to find the beautiful woman from his photograph. Finding her is only the beginning.
1. The Photograph

**UPDATED A/N: **This story is under construction I will be rewriting old chapters and working on current updates as when I started the story I lacked a beta and now have a lovely one, so just fyi to new readers or any readers for that matter. This was posted on: 2-20-15

**Author's Note: **This was inspired by an anonymous prompt I received on Tumblr ( queenlocksley )

* * *

Robin Locksley stood impatiently in line waiting to receive his prints, eager to see how his photographs had turned out. These photos were not just leisurely taken landscapes of New York City, if they were bold and audacious enough these photos would be plastered everywhere as advertising for New York. These photographs also came with a price tag if chosen for the job and Robin could really use the money. These days everyone considered themselves a photographer, snap the camera app on your phone, apply filter, blur imperfections and that's all there is to it. No…photography is so much more than that. For him photography was the refreshing change of perspective that ripped you from your comfort zone and reset everything inside you. The breath of life after a curse has been broken, an ice cold water in the middle of a drought. It was love, it was life.

"Here you go, these are the prints for Hood," the man behind the counter set down the white envelope containing his pictures. The name, his name, Hood was scrawled in feminine lettering in red marker. Robin hugged the envelope to his chest and closed his eyes sending a silent prayer to God, Allah, whoever was up there steering fate. _Please, please, please, _He prayed, _give me something good for a change._

Robin paid for his prints and quickly exited the walgreens. He made his way down main street and wandered into Central Park, where he did his best thinking. The forest always brought out the best in him. Robin ripped the seal on the envelope and tediously, careful not to leave fingerprints on his photographs, splayed them out on the ground around him. They were extraordinary and he laughed with relief. The first photo showed the sunlight streaming through the leaves of two tall trees and the busy sidewalk of an average day here in the city was visible through the break between the trees.

Robin stared hard fast at the next photo in his stack, it was not his own photo. He was fixated on it for it was perhaps the most beautiful piece of artwork he had ever seen. It was of a woman, a beautiful goddess of a girl. She had olive toned skin and dark black hair that flipped up at the ends and was pulled back from her face by sunglasses perched on top of her head. A huge smile was broken out on her face and her eyes were scrunched up, wrinkling at the corners. She had no make up on and yet she was the most graceful and beautiful creature to walk the face of the planet.

Her hands were up next to her face and she animatedly staring into the camera lens, staring into a person's soul with those liquid brown eyes. She was clearly making a tada or over-dramatic happy kind of pose in the photograph; Robin wondered who she was posing for. The sunlight streaked down on her and only made her look more heavenly, a tantalizing treat. Robin's fingers skimmed the edges of the photograph as he tried to force the photo away and stay focused on his own master pieces, the photographs that could make him enough money to buy a meal, maybe enough money to take this lovely woman on a date. (If he were to ever have a chance encounter with her.)

Upon further inspection of the photo Robin saw something that did not sit right with him. The date stamp on the photo, it had not happened yet. This photo was taken two years in the future and Robin saw his familiar RH signature in the bottom left hand corner, almost translucent. The same signature on all these other photographs spread out around him like a jig saw puzzle.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar color of black hair in one of his other pictures, that had been taken in a day that had already passed. It was her…it was _her. _Robin's hands fell away from the close up of this wonderful woman and gripped this new photograph. It was just of the clearing in Central Park, plenty of people were featured in the photograph and to see her you had to look decently hard but she was there nonetheless.

Her profile was all that was visible in this new picture. She gripped an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts, and her mouth was parted, prepared to take a bite. The same sunglasses in the picture marked two years in the future, were perched on her head, as she bent forward ready to dig into her delightful dessert. Robin could see her left hand and he noticed the lack of a ring. Was she…impossible..this was all impossible. The photo wasn't his, whoever took that photo of the woman had clearly never set up the correct date on his camera and apparently his initials were RH too. Just one big coincidence, anything could happen in New York City. But was it?

What if this was fate's answers to his prayers? What if this was the something good for a change? What if she was the one? Well, Robin would be damned if he never at least tried to find out. He packed away his photographs and stood up, bumping into someone who 's face he never saw because if he had then this love story would have ended right there. True love is never easy like that. So Robin pushed on bye with a futile, "Hey!" from the beautiful woman he had just caused to bump her chocolate rolled in nuts ice cream cone into her shirt.

Regina sighed and immediately let her anger go with a breath. She did not bother to look behind her at the man who had bumped into her, which is also a good thing because she may not have accepted his date if she had seen him then. Regina pulled a napkin from her purse wiped off the ice cream that had fallen onto her blouse and smile. She plopped her sunglasses down from her head and onto her eyes and licked at her ice cream cone as she headed off about her day.

Just any other day in New York City


	2. The Girl

**Author's Note: **This chapter will be showing us what's going on in Regina's life in this world, I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

_Vegabond is you…restless wanderer…giving more than you can take_

Regina's shoulders ached as she forged through the mass of people on the New York City sidewalk. She had slammed it against someone, who must have been all muscle, as she mad dashed out of Central Park. Her boss was going to have her ass on a silver platter. 7:15am, red digital numbers informed passer-bys on an electronic billboard. She was _late…_again. Although to any average person seven in the morning would be the beginning of the day, New Yorkers had been up for hours. This was truly the city that never sleeps; Regina loved. She was intoxicated by the thrill of it, the constant buzz of energy that was tangible in the air. She lived for it, and when it clouded her vision and clogged her systems, drove her absolutely _mad, _it still enticed her.

Central Park was her little slice of serenity in the big bad city, but even it could not be protected from the contagious hustle and bustle of the city. It was constantly moving. Slow was not a part of the Big Apple's vocabulary. Regina bounded onto 2nd Avenue, a street that was constantly at war with itself on whether it was a party street or a business street. The first three buildings were architectural masterpieces, pleasing to the eye despite their old age. They were apartment complexes, that while being far past their prime managed to survive charging a huh stipend to live there. A perfect example of how diversified New York City was could be found by examining those apartments residents.

The walk of shame was only beginning as Regina passed by the apartment complexes, she smirked, her eyes gazing over the associated "clientele", as she labeled them. Past the complexes was an abandoned law firm, which now served as a monument for street artists and street kids; it brought attention to "Madame Tink's Pyschic Shoppe", which occupied the shop space above the graffiti museum.

Regina resided in the first apartment complex on 2nd Ave, and like most all of the residents of 2nd Ave, had been to Madame Tink's at least once. (For Regina it was a good solid once.)

Regina had and never wanted to see that horrid woman again. She had what, politely put, could be referred to as a "troubled" past. Regina had grown up in Brooklyn, her parents had divorced when she was four. Cora, her mother, was very strict (politely put) and unreasonable. When she was a child, Regina had sometimes wished that she could divorce her mother the way her father had. (She still did on certain days even now, all grown up.)

Regina ran away from her mother when she was ten years old and convinced her mother to let her live with her father on the opposite side of Brooklyn. Life with her father were her premature golden years, the only part of her childhood worth remembering. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. At sixteen years old her father was shot and it became a murder when he died a couple of days later. That memory never failed to bring tears to Regina's eyes, it would always be a raw wound, one that would never quite heal no matter how much time passed.

After that Regina's life was mottled with varying shades of grade, as she lived the strict and tedious life with her mother. (Until her first love Daniel came along, that is.) Cora never approved of any of Regina's suitors, wanting her to marry a wealthy and successful business man; Regina wanted love not power or wealth. She engaged Daniel in secret, planning to marry him as soon as she was eighteen and legally responsible for herself…but that would never come to pass. Daniel died in a car accident a month before they were to be wed, it was deemed a total accident, the other party never blamed but it sat with her wrong. She still secretly blamed her mother for Daniel's death.

Cora got her wish, at least for a little bit, when Regina married Leopald. A wealthy business man who's first wife had died of some mysterious illness, leaving his young daughter, Snow, motherless. Regina hated Leopald, utterly despised him and her life with him. Forced to live in the guest house and be Snow's mother. The only reason Regina did not leave him earlier was her soft spot for children, especially young Snow. The day Snow turned eighteen, Regina demanded a divorce. It was not a question, she was leaving Leopald with or without the divorce papers signed, she would be free.

Twenty-three years old, having been a punching bag for a man older than her father would have been and emotionally abused for six years, the drugs, alcohol and graffiti that had gotten Regina through those years now behind her. (Leopald had signed the papers easy, with Snow no longer needing a mother he had no use for Regina.) When Snow moved out to start her life it felt as if Regina, too, was just starting hers.

That was how she had gotten back to these parts of the city, where she had lived with her father in days past, the only true home she had ever known. Regina lived off of a bar tender's salary, her dreams of being a model long gone away from her. But that was five. Regina was twenty-eight years old and still running late for work.

"You're late," Emmanuel, the manager of Down the Rabbit Hole (the bar where she worked) informed her

"I know, I'm so sorry," She checked in and shot him her most apologetic look, flashing him a nice bit of her cleavage as well. His eyes never moved from her breasts as he let her off the hook, grumbling about _next times _that would never come. _Thank God, _Regina exhaled with relief. She had no extra money and if she lost her job she knew what would happen. She would lose everything, she would not be able to pay the bills, buy food, and then the social worker would return and take her son from her. Henry, the light of her life, a toddling little boy nearly eight years old.

She had adopted Henry when she was still technically married to Leopald, he had made living her lonely life more bearable and given her the strength to leave that awful man she had called her husband once upon a time ago.

The adoption agency had threatened her before about repossessing Henry and giving him to a better family if she did not improve the current living situation.

"You look like you could use a drink," a man's voice reached her ears, pulling her from her thoughts. (What was that accent, British? Regina wondered.)

Regina laughed and pinned her hair back, not turning to face him. "Isn't that just the irony of our world? The bar tender who could use a drink?" She began mixing drinks, not thinking as she continued to keep her back to him. "Take a picture of the paradigm," she teased playfully.

"I would but alas it seems I left my camera at home. Photographers don't generally show up at bars to take pictures," The man informed her as he studied his newly printed pictures. "I'm off duty right now. Just wanted to drink and ponder something."

"And what is that?" She raised her eyebrows, which he could not see, as she polished an empty wine glass.

"I'm looking for a girl- woman- who was in one of my photographs. I think I have one of her pictures accidentally, and the gentleman that I am, would like to return it to her, maybe ask her to drinks," Regina laughed. "Either works."

"I hope you find her, your 'mystery girl'," Regina said honestly as she poured herself a shot of whiskey. The man had been right after all, she did need a drink. Robin rose to his feet and left a hefty tip on the counter for the bar tender.

"Yea, me, too," He said as he wove his way through the crowded bar to the exit. Regina straightened up, facing him now as he disappeared in the crowd, disappointed she had never seen his face. (Wanting to know if British guy with the hot voice had a hot face to match.) Her heart sank with a feeling of loss, which she did not know what to make of, so she distracted herself with another shot of whiskey. Get a grip, she warned herself.

Robin pocketed all of his photos but one. He studied the girl in the photo, the same one who he had just been talking too. If only he had known that. All it would have taken was one glimpse of her beautiful face and he would have known, but that did not happen. He put away that picture, too, and opened his umbrella as he walked outside in to the pouring rain and the familiar smell of the New York Streets hit him. Wet dog, from the rain, and hot garbage, from the streets.

_Where are you mystery girl? _Robin glanced over his shoulder through the fogged up bar windows he could just barely make out the form of the bar tender he had spoke with. Regina tucked a loose hair behind her ear and bustled around behind the bar. Deep in her gut, or more accurately, her heart, something was awakening. The one thing she never thought she would find had just walked through the door and she could still see it. Etched into her mind as perfectly as her favorite song. (Read All About It Prt III by Emeli Sandi was her favorite song.)

If only she knew his name, she would have at least known something, but Regina always tried to find meaning in things and maybe it was better this way.


	3. The Case

**Author's Note: **Okay keep reviewing guys! I love to know what you think! (Also once Regina and Robin "get together" the rating for this will go up, so be warned.)

...

The phone rang tediously as Robin drove towards the police station, his patience thinning with each added monotonous ring. The envelope, containing all the pictures stared at him from the passenger seat as he sped down the New York Streets. Never failing to be clogged, even on a rainy day like today.

"Hello?" David Nolan, Robin's comrade answered, a drowsy drag to his voice.

"Did I wake you, princess? Here, I thought you were supposed to be working," Robin teased as the stoplight flickered to a dull green glow.

David grumbled something and scuffled around on the other end. "Haha. I _was _working, I was investigating the back of my eyelids. "

Robin laughed (even though his pal was not all that funny), the poor brute tried. "Is Neal tiring you out that harshly?" David and his wife, Snow, had just had their first child. Robin remembered when Roland had been for how exhausted he had been. He would trade anything to have those days once more. David cleared his throat, pulling Robin out of his own thoughts.

"So..any particular reason you called me or…?"

Robin turned into the police station parking lot and nodded (even though David could not see him). "I have a case for you."

That caught his attention. David leaned forward, taking his feet from where they were resting a top his desk, and propped his elbows on the surface instead. "Do you now?"

Robin put his car in park and the pulled the keys from the ignition. He balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear as he grabbed the envelope containing the pictures and the surprise he had brought for David. He tucked the envelope under his jacket, protecting it from the rain, and started towards the station.

"Yes, I'm on my way in now," Robin announced, locking his car.

"Did you bring donuts?" David inquired, trying to shield his excitement and not get his hopes up.

"Better."

...

David was waiting eagerly at the corner that turned down to his office when Robin saw him, The second in command to the city's sheriff strode over.

"What exactly did you bring that is better than donuts?" He asked suspiciously as the pair entered his office. Robin plopped down on one of the two plush chairs in David's office, placing a six pack of beer on his desk as he did so. David's eyes lit up. He lowered the sash, to cover the window slit in his office door, and locked it. Peeping his head out into the hallway and catching the arm of Graham, a fellow work mate.

"Hey, Graham, tell the boys I'm working on a private case the rest of the night," David finished and shut the door. "Let me text my wife that I'm going to be late for dinner and then I'm all yours." David's eyes stayed glued to his phone screen, his fingers furiously typing away.

"How is Snow?" Robin asked making conversation. He had not seen her since before baby Neal was born.

"And send!" David smiled and pocketed his phone. He claimed a beer from the back and snagged the couch that occupied the space next to the plush chairs in his office (the old cop hang out lounge area), next to Robin. "Ah, she's good. Equally exhausted, if not more, obsessed with Neal. I'm not her favorite person anymore."

They both laughed.

"I never was Marian's favorite person after Roland was born," Robin smiles and it fades slowly as the memories return to him, he twirled the neck of his beer between his fingers. David nodded, staring at the ground as a heavy silence fell over them. The same silence that always accompanied the mentioning of Marian and more so…Roland.

"Marian, how- how is she?" David twisted off the cap and pressed his beer to his lips.

Robin shrugged. "Couldn't tell you." He sipped from his beer, it was obvious David wanted more but he would never press. "We don't really talk anymore, not after she moved. Besides, she's so happy, so very _very _happy now. She deserves to be, after…anyways, we don't keep up as well since she moved to Ohio. Her daughter turned two this past month…"

David nodded along, sensing Robin had no more to say (or that he wanted to say) he brought them back to the point. "So the case?" Robin smiled and produced the envelope of photographs.

...

"These are all amazing as usual, but I don't understa-" David's mouth dropped as he finished pilfering through the photographs and came across the photograph of _her. _Robin knew it was her, what else would make a grown **married** man's mouth drop like that? He turns the photograph to face Robin and demands, "Who's this?"

"That's her," Robin pointed to where the same girl rested atop a city bench reading in Central Park in one of his other photographs. "I don't know her, so don't get any ideas."

"It sure looks like you do!" David guffawed staring at the close up of the beautiful mystery girl and to the one where if you weren't looking for her she would blend in with the background.

"Check the time stamp on that one," Robin nodded at the one in David's hands. David's eyes skimmed the photo until he came across the time stamp; his eyebrows knit in confusion.

"Why…this date hasn't happened yet- I think your camera's messed up-"

"See, I thought that too, but all the other time stamps are correct and even if that was the problem, which it is not, it doesn't change the fact that I didn't take that picture! It just showed up with all my other prints."

"So..what do you want-"

"I want to find her."

David sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head with a laugh. "I was afraid that was what you would say."

...

"Okay, so what do we know about this woman?" David asked several beers later, two storyboards with pictures clipped and arrows connecting words scribbled hastily on them behind him.

"She's hot!" Robin rose his beer to his own words, nodding enthusiastically in emphasis.

"Aside from the obvious," David scowled.

"Apologies, Sargent Sass." Robin pursed his lips in thought. "Um…she reads in Central Park?"

"Yes! BOOM!" David clapped his hands and tapped the end of the dry erase marker against the storyboard where an arrow connected the words 'Central Park' to the picture of her reading in Central Park. "What else?"

Robin bit at his lip, "Do we know anything else?"

"Yesss we know so much else!" David moaned as if Robin's lack of detective skills was causing him physical pain.

"You're the cop, bro, not me," Robin chuckled as he chugged from his beer.

David rolled his eyes and walked over to his second storyboard, turning it around so that photocopied zoomed in versions of the pictures were visible. "I took the liberty to scan all you photos and uploaded them to my computer while we were talking. I played around with the zoom..and other features, and look here," David pointed to a part of the picture where she was reading in Central Park that had been circled in red.

"Look at her posture!" David whined begging Robin to know whatever it was he was seeing. "See how she is hunched over, her nose is nearly in that book. Most people bring the book to them but she, _she _is bringing herself to the book! Do you know why?" Robin stared at him and he shook his head again. "Of course you don't, I'm the cop, you're the photographer. She's bringing herself to the book is a sign of someone wanting to absorb themselves completely into something and people do that when they are scarred, where they have lived lives which brought more pain than pleasure."

"Well now I just want to cry for Magnesium," Robin said with pouted lips.

"What?" David looked repulsed, like he had completely lost his audience.

"I call her 'mystery girl' in my head and that's mg and Mg is magnesium on the periodic table- I like science, continue," Robin blabbed.

"We should cry for Magnesium her poor posture will cause her pain when she's old, anyways I also was able to zoom in on the book she's reading and get it's title." David pointed to another picture. "The Scarlet Letter."

"So…she's an adultress?" Robin guessed unsure what any of this had to do with finding her.

"NOOOOOOOoooooooo!" David groaned in anguish. "She was abused sexually, she's reading a book where a woman is shamed for her sexuality and that plus her posture leads to the conclusion that she is a very bruised woman, metaphysically."

"Okay…"

"Where do bruised people hang out?"

"Central Park-"

"Bars."


	4. The Nightmare

**Author's Note: **Okay so Regina and Robin actually have a lot of people that connect them yet they still never meet. I just wanted them to be very connected because their inner circles in the show are very connected (now that Robin is in Storybrooke) etc. Also I am trying to make the chapters longer than just 2000 words, but it's had. I can update quicker when the chapters are short and sweet. Now to the story!

...

Regina was exhausted. Her feet ached and she longed for a nice massage (one she would not be receiving any time soon, not like she had any spare cash or loving suitors to wait on her hand and feet). She had finished her third shift and more than deserved the day off she would receive the next day. Besides, Regina reminded her self as she perked up. Henry's waiting for you at home. Yea, that was more than enough to propel her to trudge forward in her six inch heels a little faster. (How she hated her bar tending uniform all the more on the walk home.) She tugged at the edges of her pea coat, trying to conceal her rather slutty uniform, that made her feel like a hooker but kept her employed at The Rabbit Hole.

Regina rummaged through her purse, an average Target brand mustard yellow purse that had seen better years and was mottled with mysterious stains. All from her wonderful boy when he was younger, she laughed as her fingers ran over the white crack on her purse where the mustard yellow pleather was peeling and she laughed at the memory. Henry had dragged her purse along the sidewalk, pretending it was his cat (since Regina's apartment did not allow pets his only furry friends were imaginary). At the time she had been anything but smiling, but at the time the purse had been younger (and therefore newer) and nothing like that is ever funny when it happens.

Her fingers meet the smooth surface of her phone and she quickly yanks it free from the bottomless abyss that is her purse. She dials Emma's number and strolls at a more leisurely pace down the sidewalk as she waits for an answer.

"Hey! Regina! What's up?!" Always energetic that one, Regina held the phone an inch or so from her ear and could still hear Miss Swan perfectly on the other end. In the background she heard explosions from one of Henry's video games, followed by a victorious _Yesss! _She could picture Henry perched on the edge of the couch, throwing his small fist into the air as he successfully destroyed whatever needed destroying.

"I'm so exhausted," Regina exhaled heavily and stifled a yawn, as if her body had felt the need to provide evidence that she was indeed, exhausted after a twelve hour work day. It was ridiculous that a bar tender have to wake up and work at a bar at seven in the morning. (It was not as if people were still hanging around from he previous night, and no one new was stumbling in.) But the bar served as a coffee lounge with free wi-fi during the day, when society would consider it unacceptable to be drinking (not that some people don't) and had a decent selection of breakfast bagels, so they needed a morning shift of workers too.

"I never would have guessed, really?" She was in no mood for Emma's sarcastic sense of humor tonight.

"Miss Swan," Regina warned, her patience wearing. "Did you make dinner?"

Emma paused, bit at her lips and carefully selected her words. "Sort of…it may or may not be edible."

Regina grumbled under her breath, she had really wanted dinner to be taken care of when she stumbled through her front door so that she could collapse to the couch and not have to get up until it was Henry's bed time. "Has Henry eaten anything?"

"No."

"Can you order some Chinese- delivery," Regina ordered and then softened to add a, "please."

"From Chinatown or-"

"No, they won't deliver fast enough," Regina shook her head and scratched at the back of her neck, tugging at her neck hairs. She did not want to say New China, they did not put egg in their fried rice, a crime in Regina's book, but they were the quickest. "I guess…that New China place." Emma hung up a few moments later with an **okay** and **yes, I'll make an egg for the fried rice** later.

...

Regina staggered down her hallway, looking dreary as ever, and praised Jesus when her door came into sight. The familiar white color with the brass numbers 508 staring her in the face. She messed around with her key chain, trying to separate her car key from her key to the Rabbit Hole from her apartment key from the miscellaneous key chains, when the door flew open. Regina startled in surprise.

"Mom!" Henry's eyes lit up as he saw her standing outside their doorway. He dove forward, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her abdomen. Just like that the exhaustion dissolves, her sour mood from working all day is gone because just seeing her son makes it all worth it.

"Hello, Henry," Regina smiled and held her son to her, planting gentle kisses on his hair.

"Look at what I made! You've got to see this! It's epic!" Henry squealed energetically, tugging Regina into the apartment. She kicked her heel against the door so it shut behind her, and followed after her son into the living room. Emma lounged on the ground eating from a takeout box (how many times had she told that woman) when they walked in. The couch cushions were overturned, blankets draped from chairs and couches and dressers. Her whole living room was one massive fort, and despite how the mess made her gut wrench she put on a smile and praised her son for his handiwork.

"Hey, I thought this was a Mom-free zone?" Emma asked with a mouthful of teriyaki chicken.

Regina raised her brows at her son, who turned bright red, and giggled. "I changed my mind," he promised her.

Emma tousled Henry's hair and crawled out of the fort to where she could stand in the entryway. "Well, I have to go now, kid, the two men I left in charge can only be left alone in small doses." Emma threw away her empty takeout container and put her fork in the sink. She slid into her red pea coat and pulled on some leather gloves. "Otherwise the police station might burn down."

Henry laughed and waved goodbye to her. "Sheriff swan off to work," Regina announced tickling her son.

"Somebody's got to keep all these crazy tourists and city-goers in line." Emma headed out the door.

"Bye, Emma!" Henry called to her.

"Bye, kid," The door shut behind her.

"How was your day, Mom?" Henry piped up after the fort had turned back into a living roo, and the pair were curled up on the couch, some animated feature playing on the T.V as Regina player with Henry's hair.

She pursed her lips, always filtering what she would tell him about her day. (Being a bartender it was not for lack of things to say but few of the many interesting stories were age appropriate for her eight year old.) Regina smiled, what a polite boy she had raised.

"It was good. It rained this morning so slow business was made even slower because of that, but there was this man who came in and do you know what?"

"What?" Henry asked eagerly, on the edge of his seat.

"He had a real life mystery," Henry gasped, his eyes growing wide. Regina nodded. Her son loved mysteries, always finding them in everyday things and trying to solve them. Operation Christmas, the recurring mystery of what Santa might be bringing him.

"What was his mystery?" Henry inquired gazing up at her.

"He had this picture of a girl but it was not his. He wanted to find her so he could give it back to her. He's looking for her in this HUGE-" Regina ticked her son's belly. "-city."

"Do you think he'll find her?" Henry wondered and with his head tilted to the side, big brow eyes eager to hear more, looking up at her he reminded her of a puppy.

"I hope so, wouldn't that be an interesting tale to tell?" Henry nodded at his mother's words. She patted his legs and kissed his forehead. "Now, off to bed with you."

Henry pouted at her but she was persistent as she stood pointing at his room, playfully smacking his bottom.

"Can I read some of my Hardy Boys book?" He questioned and he knew he had her. Regina never said no to reading. If a child wanted to read it should be encouraged, not diminished, was her reasoning.

"Lights better be out in ten minutes!" Regina warned playfully.

"They will! Thank you!" Henry scurried off into his room.

Regina poked her head in Henry's room five minutes later (after she had fed herself a helping of fried rice); he was out cold. She turned off the lights and tucked his Hardy Boys' book back on his bookshelf. He owned every Hardy Boys book in the series.

_Diiiinnngg! _Her phone beeped loudly, Henry rustled, rolling over in his bed but remained asleep. Regina exhaled and left as quickly (and quietly) as possible. She had a new text message from Emma.

_You'll never guess what the two idiots were doing! _

Regina scowled. Henry had almost been woken for this? Of course she knew it was not Miss Swan's fault (if anyone's it was hers) but still. Yet, Emma was her friend (who also served as Henry's nanny) and she was genuinely interested in what the "two idiots" were doing.

Emma had started nannying for Henry when Regina moved out of Leopald's. Henry was a toddler, and Regina had to work around the clock to make ends meet. Emma had needed a little extra cash and she became quick friends with Regina. Now, Emma was sheriff of New York City and did not need the extra cash but she liked spending time with Henry so she still watched him for her friend whenever she could.

_Regina: What?_

She sent back moments later to Emma's text. She turned off all the lights, double checked that the door was dead bolted and latched, before hiding herself away in her bedroom. She curled up under the covers and put on the Walking Dead. (Her guilty pleasure, which she never could watch when Henry was up. The last thing she needed was to scar him with nightmares of zombies. Well, Walking Dead and Game of Thrones were her guilty pleases.)

_Emma: David and one of his buddies were lounged out drinking beer and making some storyboard for some girl David's said buddy is trying to find and Graham was in his office with some bimbo! I swear! Men! _

That sounded awful, for Emma, at least. Graham was her ex-boyfriend (they had become rivals when the position for sheriff opened up and enemies when Emma was the one promoted.) David was Emma's substitute father and she was just annoyed with him for drinking on the job.

_Regina: I've talked with whoever that buddy is. _

_Regina: Came into the Rabbit Hole talking about finding this girl he had a picture of._

_Regina: I hope he's not crazy_

_Emma: LOL! _

_Emma: I know the guy, totally normal_

_Emma: …well… as normal as anyone else who is friend's with David_

_Emma: They flipped when I tried to enter the office, hid the storyboard like children! _

A knock at the door interrupted Regina from her conversation with Emma. She jumped. Henry stood sleepy-eyed in her doorway. She fumbled with the remote and paused the show (then deciding there was no good screen to pause an episode of the Walking Dead on and turned it off all together.)

"Mommy?"

Regina reached out over her bed, her fingers grasping at Henry's arms, stroking soothingly as she guided him (in the dark) towards her.

"Yes, baby?"

Henry sniffled. Regina could see something clearly had him very upset.

"Henry did you have a nightmare?" Regina asked as she pulled her son onto the bed with her, and he cradled himself against her side. She held him tight to her, placing kisses along the side of his face.

"I don't want you to send me back to the 'doption place!" Henry wailed, burying his face in her lap.

Regina's eyes grew in horror.

"What?! Henry-!"

"Mikey, from class today, said that I better be careful or else you might change your mind about wanting me as your son! He said you might send me back if I was bad because you're not stuck with me! And- and then I was thinking about how you really don't like messes and I made a big huge mess with my fort today in the living room! And- and I don't want you to send- send me back!" He sobbed.

Regina wrapped her arms so tight around her son, pulling him into her lap and hugging him to her chest like she used to do when he was mere babe. "Henry," Regina cooed, her heart breaking for her son. "Oh, my sweet, Henry." She stroked his back and bit down on her lips to hold in her tears.

"Henry look at me! Look. At. Me." She raised his chin and his big brown eyes tentatively raised to meet hers. "I _am_ your Mom. You _are _my son. You might not have come from my womb but you came from my heart, and where do you think it counts? I will never ever a million times ever send you back. No matter how many messes you make or how angry or upset I may seem, do you understand me? You are _stuck _with me, and for that I am so thankful. I love you, Henry, okay? Don't you ever forget that because in the end when everything else is gone and lost and broken, love remains strong." Regina consoled her son, making a mental note to call Mikey's mother.

Henry wiped at his eyes, straightening up in her arms. "You promise?"

Regina nodded, a smile breaking her lips and the first tear rolling down her cheeks. "Yes. Yes, I promise."

"Can I- can I sleep in your bed with you?" His request was muffled as he clung to her, his hands anchored onto the fabric of her shirt.

"Yes, of course, yes!" Regina tucked him under her blankets and kept an arm wrapped around him. Her phone continuing to ding beside her. "I love you, Henry."

"I love you, too!" Henry yawned, rolling over and back to sleep. Regina retrieved her phone from the bedside table. 5 new texts.

_Emma: Why are guys so anal about random shit like that?_

_Emma: I swear if that bimbo in Graham's office is blonde..._

_Emma: Sorry I'm ranting_

_Emma: Hey don't be asleep! I have the night shift! Talk to me! _

_Emma: Alll by myseeeelllllfffff_

Regina rolled her eyes.

_Regina: Sorry, Henry woke up. Bad thoughts. _

_Emma: Is he okay? _

Regina explained the situation to her.

_Emma: What did you tell him about his other mother?_

Regina grit her teeth at that. The other woman was _not _his other mother, she was the woman who gave him up. A feral possessive instinct overcame her as she glanced at her son, and brought him closer to her.

_Regina: You mean the woman that gave him up? _

_Regina: Not much. I just told him sometimes Mommy's change their minds about wanting babies so they give them to people who do want the babies. _

_Emma: I'm just saying I don't think it's right to villainize the birth mother._

Regina hisses at this. Who is Emma to tell her how to parent?

_Regina: Here I thought-_

She shakes her head and deletes her typing, she turns off her phone and cuddles up with her son to sleep.

* * *

Regina had just finished making breakfast the next morning when there was a knock at the door. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and unlocked the door.

Emma.

"Look who the cat dragged in," Regina announced not attempting in the slightest to hide her anger. She blocked Emma from entering and glared at the blond. "What do I owe the pleasure? Come to tell me more about how Henry's birth mother is some hero? Or how I should parent my child? How many children do you have Miss Swan-"

"Regina," Emma whined following in after her when Regina finally moved from the doorway. [Regina was not going to allow her eggs to burn, not even in the name of stubbornness.]

"It's not what I meant- and it's not my place to tell you how to parent, but I feel like if you make the birth mother a villain he'll feel guilty for wanting to know her and every kid does eventually Regina. Or want to meet her or know anything about her-"

"Closed adoption."

Emma was caught off guard. "What?"

"It was a _closed adoption. _The records are sealed, but apparently she was in a correction facility. There are no records that reveal who the birth mother is, no medical history nothing. It's all closed. Hence, closed adoption." Regina flipped the eggs off the pan and on to the plate with the other breakfast items, discarding the pan into the sink.

"But what if the woman who gave him up regretted it? What if she had had no choice and wanted to see him, meet him, know his name?" Emma defended, Regina fumed.

"Why do you care so much about this fictional birth mother, Miss Swan?" Regina hissed. "He's my son! Mine! Are you the one giving him nightmares about being taken away from me or me giving him back? Putting these ideas that he's not actually my son in his head?"

"NO! Never!"

"Get out!"

"What- Regina!"

Regina clenched and unclenched her fists. "I said 'get out'!"

"The birth mother is not fictional, Regina," Emma said as she stormed out, mumbling under her breath. "She's very real and wants her son back."

Regina slammed the door shut behind Emma, pressing her hands against it, shaking with anger. Regina _was _Henry's mother. Why was everyone so insistent on claiming she wasn't? He was _her _son!

"Mom."

The last voice she wanted to hear said. Regina exhaled and opened her eyes.

"How much did you hear?"

"I didn't mean to upset you last night when I-" Henry began but she stopped him.

"You didn't do anything. I just need to cool off. Emma won't be nannying you anymore, I don't want her to make you feel like you don't belong here, okay?"

Henry nodded. "Mom?"

"Mhmm?"

"I do wonder sometimes, a lot of times actually. When kids get picked up by their Moms and look identical, on my birthday, on adoption day, on father's day.." He trailed off. "But Emma was wrong. You don't make me feel guilty or make me think badly about my birth mother. She gave me up so that I could have my best chance, it doesn't matter how, why, or when. Because either way she wasn't ready to be a mom. Lucky for me I found my way to you, my real Mom. I know that now. It's like the Hardy Boys say, people have a tendency to find the people they are meant to be with. No matter when, where, or how I believe I will always find you."

"So if you think about it the truth is I always have been your son and you always my mom. Because, like you say," Henry walked over and placed a hand on Regina's heart. "We come from each other's hearts."

Regina smiled and wiped at her eyes, hugging her son. "Do you know how smart and wonderful you are?" Henry beamed. Regina straightened up and booked her son's nose. "Now, how about we do something fun today? It's my day off!"

"Can we walk the City and get hot dogs from those carts and dance in Time Square and-" he gasped for breath. Henry loved to explore the city, run through it, connect with it, truly feel it in his bones.

"Whatever you want," Regina assured him.


	5. The Son

**A/N: Sorry this update took (months?) lol I have no idea. But I forgot how much I loved this story and things were hectic as I was in the middle of leaving my abusive home a couple months ago, but writing is helping me. I love you guys and hope you enjoy this story update. **

Robin runs his fingers over the edges of the photograph of his mystery woman, lounging in a grassy section of Central Park, looking up every now and then to watch as the people pass by. Sure it might have been more fun to people watch at a bar (not so much fun on his wallet) but this picture had been taken here, and David was right. The woman looked battered and bruised, broken people flock to nature, sunlight, among other things, to seek solace. He hears the running water of a fountain near by, the soothing sound of rollerblades on concrete, and he stares up at the bridge across from him that always has people walking across. Robin sets the picture down and picks up his camera, lifting it to his eyes and watching as the perfect scene falls into frame. _Click. _Perfect, he sits back triumphantly as the digital image loads onto the tiny electronic screen.

"Mom, look! Look, Mom, that man's got a cool camera!" a little boy's voice is called out to Robin's left and he turns his head, watches a young boy rounds the bridge and gallops toward him.

"Wait! Henry! Leave that poor man alone! This is his job! Henry!" but the mother's attempts to stop her son are futile, he turns gives her a pouting glance and she sighs. "I'll be watching from the fountain." Henry, that was the lad's name, Robin marks and the boy bounds over to him.

He shies a few feet from Robin and rocks on his feet. Robin smiles up at the boy and beckons for him to come over. "You like photography, Henry?" The boy nods, eyes wide, curious, no doubt, at how this stranger knows his name. Robin clears his throat and sticks out his hand, "Forgive me, where are my manners, let me introduce myself. I'm Robin Locksley, professional photographer."

Regina watches the exchange curiously, hiding from Henry's view so he feels as if he's being independent, but she would never let her son out of her sight especially not in Central Park of all places. "Would you like to take a picture, Henry?" Robin asks and the boy nods energetically.

"Yes, please," Henry announces eagerly and Robin chuckles, placing the camera in the boy's hands.

"Okay, now you see that-" he points to the lens viewer, and the boy places his eye against it, and Robin places his hands on the boys shoulders fixing his posture and positioning him properly. "Just like that, now when you're ready, when it's time, just press down _here_."

"How will I know when it's time?" Henry asks retracting back from the camera, brows raised.

"Trust me," Robin tells him, squeezing the boy's hand encouragingly. "You'll know. Now go take your picture."

Henry starts off a ways from Robin and he worries letting an eight year old run off with his camera might have been a poor choice. "Mommy!" he hears the little boy shout from around the bridge where his mother has surely been watching their exchange. "Smile Mommy!"

Henry feels it, just like the stranger, _Robin_ was his name, had told him he would and as the light shines down on her he clicks the button. Waiting for the image to load on the electronic screen and then fade to black. Yes, this picture is satisfactory.

"Now go return the camera and come along or we won't be able to do everything you want," his mother chastises him and he comes running back, carefully placing the camera in Robin's expectant hands like it was a precious gem.

"Thank you, Mr. Robin, I hope one day I can be a good photo taker like you," Henry thanks him and before Robin can say anything else the boy is gone. His smile fades watching the happy child run off, so much like Roland, what Roland could have been. His heart sighs and his gaze falls to the camera in his hands. Might as well see what the boy thought picture worthy, he thinks as he presses the memory recall and his mouth drops. His hand scrambles and he pulls the picture from the ground and stares. It's unmistakable, the boy's mother- she's the mystery woman.

"Wait! Henry!" Robin jumps to his feet chasing off in the direction the boy had traveled but he's gone, as if he had never been there. Bested by mystery woman once again, he curses under his breath. She had been standing right here, right _here_. He lifts his chin at that, hope replacing the anger that had clouded his chest. She had been standing right here, he wanted to jump with joy. He was standing somewhere his mystery woman had, touching the same ground she had touched; breathing the same air.

She was a _mom, _she had a son. Henry, her son's name was Henry. He needed to tell David. Robin cleans up his area and hurries off towards the sheriff's station. This, this may be the puzzle piece that makes the picture.


	6. The Encounter

**A/N: You guys thanks so much for the lovely reviews they make writing ff so much more enjoyable!**

Central Park. Robin had always loved the outdoors, woody areas especially, and he felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he started on his way to leave the park. He had grown up in the country on a rather large estate where he could practice his archery skills in the local fowl. Robin had not started taking pictures until he came to the city for college. Snapping photographs to send back home so they had proof of the marvels he would tell them of the city. He had fallen in love with the craft and now he was living the life of a starving artist.

_That's not exactly true, _Robin thought to himself. He was actually doing quite well at the moment. Several of his pieces were being showed in local art exhibits and what he did not sell there he would sell through his online shops. Robin had also won more than a fair share of money in a contest a couple years back. He might actually make it depending on whether he could get his own gallery showing, he was in the running for a full exhibit of just his work and the agent had loved his pieces but said something was missing, something he thought would just tie the whole collection together and Robin was still trying to figure out what that might be. He turned his camera back on staring down at the photograph of the mystery woman.

A short distance from his Regina stood by the pond, Henry was a few paces from her staring at the ducks swimming lazily through the water, making duck like noises. She shivered, brushed hair from her shoulder, and caught sight of the man- was he...was that the man from the bar? She pursed her lips, he sure was not giving up on finding that girl. Henry called her then and she walked over to him, hidden from view once more, as he talked to her about what he had learned in school about ducks.

Robin gave the park one last glance over for the boy, Henry and his mother, but they were gone. Straight to the sheriff station it was then, he decided.

On his way in the sheriff sped by him, a blond bombshell who normally would have remarked on Robin's coming to steal David again. Maybe that's why he pursued her to make sure she was okay, well that and she was pulling out a cigarette; she seemed off. (Never pursue angry women, only bad things.)

"Emma! Emma!" Robin caught her arm and she turned on him, cigarette between her fingers, ready to snap.

"What?" Her words were venomous.

"You're shift doesn't start for another couple hours, what's wron-" He spoke softly as he followed her into the sanctity of her office, Emma having decided against a cigarette after all.

"You think I don't know that? God _damn_," she roars slamming her chair against her desk. "Graham screwed some fucking bimbo last night and you had David otherwise occupied- does anyone actually _work?_" She slammed her fists angrily against her desk and Robin jumped back. Hell hath no fury like a broken woman screwed over.

"Hey- hey, whatever's happened it can be fixed, I won't bother David here anymore when he's on duty-"

"No! No," Emma shook her head, focusing on her breathing. "It's not you, its- its personal." Robin nodded he didn't want to push her for information she was not willing to give him. "God I am so stupid!" She shouted, collapsing into her desk chair and covering her face with her hands. "I never should have given him up."

"Given who up?"

"And now she's never going to let me see him again- god I screwed up!" Emma laughed, wanting to cry so badly.

"See who?"

She looked up as if just remembering Robin was in her office with her and smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. "My son." Robin was shocked by this information. He knew Emma decently well, they were mutual...friends? But never before had she ever mentioned a son! Emma and David were extremely close, for a long time, he thought one day Emma and David would elope, but their love turned out more father-daughter. (Unusual considering the small age difference between them.) And David had never mentioned Emma mentioning having a son.

"You have a son?" Robin asked dumbly.

"Yes and no," Emma confessed. "I was 20, too broke to care for a child, especially one I was not ready for, was not sure I could love." She sighs now, shaking her head at herself. "I became a cop so I could find my son. He was four when I started seeing him."

"The mom let you come into his life so yo-"

"No," Emma practically moaned. "The mom needed a nanny, she was newly divorced. I applied." Robin gapes at her, mouth hanging open like a fool. "It was a closed adoption, there was no other way, what was I supposed to do?" She continues before Robin can begin to say the million other ways this could have been handled differently that come to mind. "I meant to tell her but-" she shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter, now anyway. She hates any sort of idea of a relationship between her son, _my _son and me, his birth mom; his _mother._"

"You've been- dear god, Emma- that's- that's got to be so many forms of illegal," was all Robin could manage.

"I'm sheriff, thank you so much for that but I am very well aware of all the laws I'm breaking," Emma remarks snarkily. "Let alone what this will do to Henry when he finds out."

"Henry?" Robin looks up at this. It's New York City, he tells himself, there's got to be a million different kids named Henry and what are the odds that her Henry was the Henry he had meant in the park, the Henry that belonged to the mystery woman. Besides, he tells himself, Henry from the park looked like mystery woman, and Emma was- well, blonde. And even though Robin knew that was not how genetics worked, it was enough to calm his nerves.

"He's my son. That's his name." Emma clarifies pulling Robin from his thoughts.

He inhales sharply, "He's not going to find out, at least not from you. You have no rights to that child, biology aside, he's not yours and when and _you _will not tell him now or ever. His mother will-"

"I _am _his mother!" Emma spits back. "I've been there when I could."

Robin shakes his head, backing away from her. "Emma, I like to think we're friends-"

"We are."

"Then friend to friend you need to stay away from that little boy before you end up in jail. This, what you told me, is _insane_," Robin warns.

"I've ruined everything with Regina," Emma says, shoulders shuddering as she begins to cry. "Go! I want to be alone with my sin."

Robin bows out, a little worried about his friend (and her sanity), but he trusted she would do the right thing. He left her office and marched into David's, where said deputy was talking his wife's ear off on the phone.

"Hey, Robin," David greeted, after hanging up and pocketing the phone. "Listen I have to go on a case right now and then I have to go home, another all-nighter and my wife will kill me. Beers tomorrow at the Rabbit Hole, I'll pick you up!" And with that David is rushing out the door, jumping into a police car and speeding away.

"Robin!" David called through the intercom as he buzzed the apartment call board the next day. "Get in me car!"

Robin chuckled from upstairs and collected his wallet, hitting the call button in his apartment, "I'm on my way down."

"Good. I have a surprise." David was resting against his car, his pride and joy, and smiled at Robin. He smiled back but for a different reason.

"Neal!" He greeted his friend from college who had gone on to make it big as an actor. Neal wore a designer suit and dark black sunglasses.

"Surprise!" Neal and Robin man hugged in greeting before piling into David's car. "To the Rabbit Hole!"

David stepped on the gas.

"So let me get this straight," Neal twisted his shot of whiskey between his thumb and index finger. "Your plan to find this lass is by what? For what?" His brows wrinkled in confusion.

"That's the tricky part, but David I learned something new. She has a son, Henry," and so does Emma, he thought. "She was in Central Park and her son came over and I talked to him, gave him a quick photography lesson and let him take a picture of whatever he wanted. When he returned the camera to me there she was, right in the memory. I tried to find them but they were gone when I looked up and now that's three photographs of her in Central Park." Robin informed him, nursing his whiskey glass. "But tonight is not about mystery girl-" he raised his glass. "It's about time we men, sorry David, have a little fun. Perhaps a new girl will intrigue my interest and I can forget all about mystery girl." He knew that would not happen, he could never forget her.

Neal stared awkwardly at the table, scratching nervously behind his ear. "Actually, there is a reason I'm in town, men, and it's not for a movie."

Robin glared at his friend, he already knew what he was going to say. _Tamara. _So when Neal said, "Emma," Robin jolted.

"What?" David and Robin said in unison, same word, different meanings.

"We met at your office party last spring and I made time to see her every time I've been in the city. I had a break from filming so I came here-"

"How long?" David growled protectively, eyes narrowed at the star.

"You're not _really _her father, Dave-" Robin held his drink to his lips, watching the exchange unfold before him, and finding it suitable enough entertainment.

" ."

"Three months."

David nodded his head solemnly and chugged the rest of his beer, sitting in silence for a few moments before speaking.

"I may not really be her father, but I'm the only man she's got looking out for her like a father should. It would have been nice to know my friend's sneaking around with my- Emma."

"Your Emma?" Neal raises his brows. "I don't think she would take kindly to being considered-"

"Oh so now you think you know her better than me?" David demanded.

"David, why are you freaking out about this? She's a grown woman with her own thoughts and free will and I was just trying to point out-" But David's off his bar stool and Robin knows this is about to take a sour turn.

"How about you just point out nothing-"

"Dave, we're friends, calm down-"

"You want to be friends then stop seeing her. I know your kind and you don't get to parade into that broken girl's life and screw her over like you've done thousands of other times with thousands of other women!" David roars and now both men are standing.

"This time it's different!"

David throws his beer glass down on the ground, the glass shatters and people gasp. "It's never different!"

"Hey! Hey!" the bartender has run over now, pushing herself between the two men, hands outstretched. David is in no mood, he shoves forward to leave, causing the bartender to fall forward into the broken glass.

"Stop him!" Robin hisses angrily at Neal before turning to help the bartender. He crouches down beside her on the ground.

"Ow. Shit!" the bartender curses, dark hair flopping over her face. Blood trickling down her palm of her one hand.

"Your hand's cut," Robin says kneeling before her and clutching at her wrist.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," she rips her hand away wincing. "What are you, a doctor?"

"No," he laughs, staring down at the glass on the floor. "I'm a-" his eyes catch hers and it's like being hit by a train. He stutters on whatever he was starting to say and loses all sense of coherent thought because it's her, it's _her_. Mystery woman, he's looking to her eyes, not just a photograph, but the real deal. Her wince in pain as she tries to move snaps him out of his daze and he reaches forward scooping an arm around her back the other taking her hand. He takes a cloth napkin from the nearest table and wraps it around her hand, tightly, against her moans and trembles of pain because it needs pressure to stop bleeding.

"You're going to need stitches, can you move your fingers," she manages to wiggle them slightly and he nods. "If there's any nerve damage it's not terrible because you can do that but try not to move your fingers anymore."

"How do you know all of this?" She bites back.

"I grew up on a farm, the nearest E.R was two hours away, we were our own doctors," he explains and she laughs at this. It's a beautiful thing, her smile. Sparkling and perfect, causing her dark chocolate eyes to light up. "You can't drive yourself to the emergency room-"

"Are you offering or enforcing?" She asks pulling back from his touch slightly.

"Offering the choice is yours, I can hail you a cab if you so choose-"

"No, I'm an injured woman after midnight in New York City, in a cab alone, I'd never make it home." She reasons and he bobs his head.

"Well my buddy's car is out front," he says to fill the silence and takes her uninjured arm, the scent of rum and apples flooding his nostrils as she nears him, letting him lead her. The stars shine brighter in the sky than ever before as he leads her out. David has taken the car home and Neal remains, talking in to his cellphone. Robin has to hail a cab anyway and accompanies her for her safety.

They're sitting in the old backseat of the cab, that reeks of a gym locker and has seen better days, when he realizes he turns and adds with a cheeky dimpled grin, "I'm Robin, by the way."

Regina studies him, breathtaking dimples and elegant blue eyes that the silver moonlight dances in perfectly, and she thinks how romantic this might be if her hand did not have a maroon napkin tied around it and the stench of copper coming from it as her hand bled. She snorts at the thought and he arches an eyebrow, "I'm sorry," she manages as she calms herself down. "It's- nevermind- I'm Regina."

"Regina." Her name rolls of his tongue like an angel's song, branding his heart the moment she says it and she's captured him.


	7. The Date

**A/N: Huge HUG thanks to Kiki who was basically my bitch this whole chapter, I kept complaining and whining and ranting to her and she deals with me guys and we both laughed and giggled and played our hands at this chapter. It was a pain in the ass it's so long guys about 100 short of 10k words! That's nearly the whole story so far in ONE chapter! And shout out to Jess who made this process much easier (and also somehow harder?) by introducing me to outlining chapters! (And also I used those two sentences you replied with on making saliva sexy so there in here somewhere.) And thank you guys for being so patient! Also happy birthday to me! I'm officially 17 as of right now! Enjoy guys! **

Regina shifts awkwardly in the the cab, the smell of sour alcohol and bad body odor is smothering her senses as she cradles her hand to her chest, a ruby pool of her own blood forming in the palm of her hand, drenching through the napkin wrapped around the sliced flesh, the copper smell that normally overwhelms her at the exposure of blood faint in comparison to the smell of New York City cab. Robin changes his position beside her and she wonders for the umpteenth time if letting a man, who was a stranger no less, accompany her to the emergency room in a cab, under cover of nightfall was the smartest thing to do or if she should have taken her chances going by herself. She decides it does no good to sit on that now (telling herself that if she had chosen to fly solo she could have taken any of the shit the city through at her, she was a Brooklyn woman, she could handle it) and retires herself to looking out the window, watching as the city blurs by in flashing lights and billboard signs. So many people come here searching for their dreams, their purpose in life, but this city is just one big mosh pit of broken people, broken people hoping the bright lights and shiny skyscrapers can fix them.

They can't.

"How's your hand?" Robin asks beside her, moving his chin slightly to follow his gaze, fixated upon her almost entirely crimson hand now, regardless of the napkin applying slight pressure to the wound, the blood seeps through it, around it, running down to the tips of her fingers and lighting up every line on her skin in red, so many lines she had never seen before, never bothered to look for until they were made blatantly obvious to her.

"Well two idiots at my bar got into a fight and I fell into some glass which then mutilated my hand, how would you be?" She counters, daring to turn and look him in the eyes. The light dances perfectly across his blue irises lighting them up almost iridescently in the silver slivers of moonlight that make it between tall buildings and into the cab. It puts her off slightly, and no, she turns her head away, she only has one man in her life, only needs one man in her life and that's her son, Henry. Shit. Ashley.

Regina fumbles with her one hand to reach her phone in her back pocket, and why did she insist on putting it back there? Her hands struggles between the seat back of the cab seats and her jacket, and she thinks about how strange it is (yet again) that her right hand can do anything but her left hand can barely hold things. Robin chuckles softly at the sight of her scrambling and scratching try to grasp her phone with her left hand and she stops, gives him daggers, that dare him to comment further.

"Here, here," he says biting on his bottom lip to hold back laughter, and god-no. She will not look because this man is not fair, she is not fair. None of this is fair. She had sworn off men, sworn off letting people in once she had finally cleaned herself of Leopold and she was not about to start now just because this man had come to her aid when she was down (literally) and had perfect blue orbs that sent shivers down her spine and when he bit his lip she wanted to tell him she would be more than happy to bite it for him.

Robin's hand snakes behind her and she sucks in a breath, his fingers palming her arse as he searches for her phone in her pocket and she is struggling now, really struggling because she can not remember the last time she was touched like this by a man and consensually, she should not be this strung up over a simple skim of a man's hand on her ass. It just is not her- but it is, it so is and it is him. He finds her phone and his fingers curl around the metal box, and she jerks as his fingers press into her with slightly more pressure. Regina instantly scolds herself, thankful for the darkness of the cab because her face would be lit up in fifty shades of red.

"Jumpy are we?" Robin asks as he straightens up and extends his hand in front of her, opening his palm and she quickly snatches up her phone with a simple nod of her head as thanks. She slides the bar on the screen, unlocks her phone and the keypad jumps up, ready for service when he speaks again. "Calling for help already? I've never made a woman flee so fast before." He means it as a joke but she can hear the curiosity behind it, of why she might be calling someone now as she sits in the dark smelly downtown cab with a cloth napkin wrapped around her hand and a strange man at her side.

"You wish," She snaps with a haughty air automatically and then softens as she types in the final digits of Ashley's number. "No, my son, I have to call the sitter, I assume I'll be home later than expected because of-" she lifts her hands and smiles slightly, "-unforseen circumstances."

Robin laughs and it's a sound deep in his chest resonating out and she finds it comforting and encouraging, she made him laugh, she did that and there goes her ego. She lifts the phone to her ear, leaning slightly away from Robin, and propping her right elbow on the window ledge of the car as the phone rings in her ear.

"Hello? Regina?" Ashley's cheerful voice calls out.

"Yes, it's me dear," Regina assures her and then sighs, sheer exhaustion over the whole events of tonight taking over her and making her head pound. (The bright lights of the city not helping at all.) "I'm going to be later than I first thought, there was an.._incident_ at the bar tonight and I'm on my way to the E.R. If you can't stay I understand I can call-" Regina trails off. Who can she call? She could call Mary Margaret, her ex-step-daughter, their relationship is rather rocky and last Regina heard from her she had just had a son so maybe not her. Ruby, but what time was it? Nearly one am on a Friday, she was probably well sloshed by now at whatever club or bar she had chosen, so no that would not work. Emma? No. She would not release her from time out yet, she still had several issues she needed to work out with that sheriff before she let her near her son again.

"No, oh my gosh, are you okay? It's fine, it's fine, I can stay as long as you need. Don't worry about it, are you okay?" Regina can feel the anxiety Ashley is feeling as she imagines every worst case scenario for why a bartender would be sent to the E.R because of an incident at work as she tries to break through Ashley's string of worries to tell her she's fine.

"Ashley, stop, I'm fine, it's okay, breathe honey, breathe," Regina practically yells into the phone to have her voice heard over Ashley's babbles. "I just fell into some broken glass and sliced my hand pretty badly, nothing too major, nothing to get in such a fuss about. I can take it," She assures the young woman, only twenty years old.

"Oh, okay, I guess that's an improvement from a bar shooting or a broken bone, right?" Ashley asks, and she can hear her deep breathing as she calms herself, Regina laughs. _Yes,_ she promises, it is an improvement.

"Ashley, is Henry still awake?"

"Oh, no, ma'am, I put him to bed at eleven, just like you said, why?" Regina debates whether to have Ashley wake him or not, and then decides yes, because what if he wakes up and she's still not home and he worries about her and the news of her injury would be better delivered coming from her, she can truly reassure him that she is in fact one hundred percent fine in a way that Ashley simply can not.

"Will you take the phone to him, and wake him, I want to personally tell him what's happened," She instructs the woman and listens as she pads through her apartment. _Henry, _Ashley whispers gently, and she pictures the blonde woman shaking her son gently by the shoulders as he lays curled up asleep on his bed, a Percy Jackson book no doubt fallen beside him or off of him and onto the floor. _Henry_, and with that second, more firm voicing of his name she hears his answering mumble of what and the static of the phone being handed off.

"Mommy?" Henry says sleepily into the phone.

"Hey, baby," Regina replies softly, not wanting to make putting him back to sleep any harder for Ashley and speaking softly to keep him calm and as near sleep as possible. "Hey, listen baby, Mommy's not going to be home when she said she would, okay? It's going to be a little later than that, I got a cut on my hand and have to have a doctor fix it up for me, okay?"

"Are you gonna be okay?" Henry pipes up suddenly wide awake and Regina sighs, she tried.

"I'm going to be fine, honey, I promise, okay? Now go back to sleep easy for Ashley, she can make you some hot cocoa if you need it. I'll come in and tell you goodnight when I get home, deal?"

"Okay," Henry pulls away from the phone then and she can hear him informing 'Miss Ashley' that Mommy said he could have more hot cocoa. "Make sure that doctor takes good care of your hand Mommy or else how will we hug? How will I give you high fives?"

Regina chuckles and reassures him that even if she only had one arm she would still be able to give him hugs, and then goes on to promise him nothing has happened to make her lose an arm and she was just giving him an example and yes, she will make sure the doctor does not take away one of her arms by mistake, and yes she will be fine, yes, yes, yes. "Goodnight, baby, I love you."

"Oh, Mommy?"_Yes? _"Are you still mad at Emma, am I not going to see her again?"

And shit. Regina could keep Emma in time out for her own personal spite, but to hurt her son by prolonging her confronting the sheriff and working some things out, that is just selfish and Regina refuses to be a selfish mother like Cora was to her. She hangs her head and let's out a heavy breath.

"Don't you like Ashley?" She says instead trying to distract her son. He is quick to assure her that oh yes, Ashley let him make an even bigger fort than Emma and had not made him clean it up at all, she had cleaned it up all her own, but that he misses Emma and Regina can understand that. He's known Emma for four years of his life, she's practically family. "I don't know baby, when Emma is going to be watching you again. She upset Mommy pretty badly, and I will see what I can do, but for right now can you be happy with Miss Ashley?"

He assures her that yes he cans and adds, "Night Mommy, I love you," and with that the phone is handed back to Ashley, who accepts it with a gentle _thank you, Henry. _

Ashley returns to the phone speaking immediately and asking Regina if she is sure she will be fine and again, yes, yes, yes. "Ashley!" Regina interrupts her finally, having enough of this needless worry. The girl quiets on the other line and Regina takes a breath. "Thank you so much, for this."

"It's no trouble Regina." Ashley promises and with her easy going personality she can tell she means it. The innocent soul has not yet had a curveball thrown at her by life. Regina talks idle things with the sitter for a moment more before hanging up with a puff of exhaustion and stuffing her phone in her front left pocket, as best she can. Robin shifts uncomfortably beside her and the way he continues to tug at his ear, then run his fingers through his neck hair, does not go past her. She quirks the corners of her lips up, almost amused, almost curious to know what has got him suddenly so antsy but she instead says nothing and goes back to sitting in silence watching the New York City scenery pass by.

Finally, Robin clears his throat and leans forward. "You..uh.. you have a son?" He asks even though he already knows the answer to his question.

Regina decides to humor him and purses her lips, nodding before adding, "Yes, I have a son...Henry." She does not miss the man's glance to her ring finger and tears her hand away from his sight, with a scolding sigh, and a roll of her eyes. She forces her body to turn ever so slightly away from him (against its wishes) and tries to focus on the passing billboards, her thumb absentmindedly toying with her ringless ring finger, sadly.

"Divorced."

"What?" It seems neither of them were tuned into conversation mode anymore.

Regina gives him another scathing sigh and twists herself to face him again as she says as if it's paining her to repeat herself, "I'm divorced."

"Ah," she is about to retort on the fact that that is all he has to say when he surprises her by adding, "As am I." And it's then she notices the lovely drawl of his accent and something flutters deep in her abdomen.

"Besides, my son's adopted, so it's not like it would have mattered anyway," She snaps and she swears she sees the fear of God drop in his face when she says he's adopted. It angers her, only slightly and she has a good sense to lecture him about adoption being a good thing but he does not seem judgemental he seems, terrified, and that puzzles her.

"I see I've offended you, and I apologize, it was never in my interest to hurt you feelings, milady," Robin ducks his head apologetically.

"You didn't 'hurt my feelings', I'm not a child, I grew up in Brooklyn for heavens' sake, it takes more than a man's opinion to bruise me," She remarks saucily with a disapproving raise her brows.

"Either way, let me make it up to you, let me make up for this whole shitty night, after your hand is fixed up and if you want to, of course," Robin suggests and Regina hmms. Intrigued at what exactly he might be suggesting, before she can think herself out of it he chimes, "It's not too terribly cliche to take a bartender drinking, is it?" He has a smirk on his face, dimples that make her putty and she gives an exasperated breath, cracking a smile when she responds.

"I suppose not."

"Fantastic," Robin let's out the breath he had not realized he had been holding. "There's this bar in Brooklyn I've been dying to try, I doubt their bartender will be as talented as the Rabbit Hole's but I figure, it's still worth a shot." Regina snickers and that leads to full on laughing and she should not be laughing this hard and he echoes her laughter with softer satisfied chuckles of his own at watching her like this.

"I saw what you did there, with that, good job," She struggles to form coherent words between gasps for air and breaks for laughs. She gives one last happy sigh that marks the end of all laughing sprees and adds, "Good bar pun."

"I figured I had to try my hardest you are a bartender, I was certain you would have heard them all," He says by way of excuse.

She wants to respond but before she can the cabbie informs them gruffly that they have arrived at the hospital and the journey has run the meter up a decent bit, she reaches for her wallet but he stops her and hands the driver his card, making a small scowl form on her lips. He finds out why once he's exited the car and paraded over to her side, offering her a helping hand out of the cab, "I could have paid. I'm a working woman, I can pay my way."

Robin shakes his head, "You also have your hand all bloody and cut up because of my friends, it's the least I can do." He lifts her elbow , taking her uninjured arm on hand and helping her from the taxi and on to the curb. The hospital doors an eerie iridescent white looming before them, she shivers. Hospitals always rubbed her the wrong way.

"You know, I'm perfectly capable of walking myself in without assistance, it's just my hand," Regina says saucily and he rolls his eyes, dropping his hold on her arm instantly and instead holding the hospital door open for her to pass through. She smiles and as she passes through adds, "I wasn't complaining." She swears she hears him mutter, _is impossible, _under his breath with a shake of his head as he follows through behind her and she smirks.

"Here I'll go-"

"I can do it," Regina cuts him off and saunters over to the nurse's desk. He sighs and retires himself to sitting in one of the surprisingly comfortable hospital waiting room chairs and watching her figure as she bends over the desk and converses with the nurse, explaining what happened for sure, and then blinks hard in surprise when she is standing in front of him again, a clipboard with paperwork clipped on in hand, and a shit-eating smile on her face. She raises an eyebrow at him and takes a seat beside him, silently.

"Enjoying the view, Mr.-" She stops, she doesn't know his last name and her lips part to ask but he gives it to her without asking.

"Locksley."

She bobs her head, taking the pen from the clipboard and going down the list filling out her information, birthdate, address, insurance, social security, traveling out of the country lately, etc, and adds, "Well, Mr. Locksley, then."

He chuckles and unfolds and refolds his arms, straightening his legs out in front of him and shrugs. "I was actually." She swats him playfully and he scoffs. "What makes you think you were the view I was enjoying?" Regina raises her gaze from the clipboard and he holds his arms out in a surrender position, "Not that you weren't." She purses her lips coyly and returns to filing her information. Regina scolds herself, why should she even care if she was not what he had been staring at so admirably? Why should she care? _He did ask you out after this, _she reminds herself and sighs with a heave of her shoulder, filling out the final pieces of the paperwork and standing to return it to the nurse.

Robin stands beside her but does not follow, turns down a hallway instead and she watches him go. Watches as his dark blond hair disappears from view, and the smell of pine gone with him. Not that's she complaining, except, well, she is.

"Ms. Mills?"

"Hmm, oh I'm sorry," She apologizes realizing she had tuned out the nurse who was trying to give her instructions. "What were you saying?"

"You can take a seat now, the doctor will be with you shortly," she instructs her with a look to her still vacant seats and Regina nods, forcing a smile and walks back to the empty two seats Robin and her had occupied moments earlier. She busies herself playing on her phone and genuinely jumps when he returns, tossing a bag of potato chips onto her lap and laughing as she nearly jumps out of her skin.

"Well, hello to you too," She snarks and he shakes his head playfully, reclaiming his seat beside her.

"Diet or Regular?" He asks holding up two cans of soda.

"You tell me, does the figure you were admiring look like it drinks regular?" She asks as she opens the potato chip bag and begins to stuff herself with chips, gods, she can not remember the last time she had potato chips. The grease on her fingers making her feel like she was truly getting away with something.

Robin hands her the diet and she swallows her mouthful of chips, "Good answer," and takes a swig. He fancies himself with his regular pop and a weird protein bar with a foreign label that he claims he nabbed from a cart on his way back there and she laughs. "It's like we're on a fucked up first date," Regina tells him raising her bloody hand and they both laugh.

Robin leans in then, closer than they had been before and she gets chills just from his presence. She takes a breath, trying to steady the erratic beating of her traitorous heart inside her chest. "Oh believe me," He starts and she is sure he can hear her heart. "You'll know when I take you out on a date." Regina smirks.

And then he pulls back. The moment breaks and Regina's heart rate returns to normal with a simple roll of her neck and light hearted laugh as they return to munching on the snack food. She is thinking up a counter to meet his smart ass comment with when the nurse calls her name out.

"Ms. Mills?" And just like that the pair are following after the plump young woman into an emergency room and being left alone, yet again. Robin starts to inspect the miscellaneous items on the counter surfaces, picking up a few of them.

"Don't touch anything!" She scolds mother-like, but she cannot help herself.

Robin seems amused by her and picks up a jar of cotton balls, "So I should not be holding this right now, like this?" He asks and she shakes her head.

"No, you should put it down, what if you break the glass jar and then we get into another mess just like the one that brought me here?" Regina reasons.

"Well the way I see it we're already here," He shrugs and let's the jar fall from his hands, her heart drops, her whole expression drops, and then he is catching the jar smugly in his other hand and laughing at her like she is the funniest thing he has ever encountered, and she wonders if maybe, in fact, she is.

"I will kill you Robin Locksley," Regina manages between gasps for air, left hand clutching at her heart.

"Relax, there's no need to be so tense and uptight all the time, for a bartender you're really not the party type," Robin informs her as if she does not already know.

"They are called stereotypes for a reason," She remarks.

"I was not being prejudiced simply stating an observation," Robin defends and she mhmms. Their childish banter is interrupted by a doctor, Dr. Whale according to his name tag, coming in and taking Regina's hand into his.

"Ms. Mills, do you want to tell me what happened to your hand?" He asks, removing the bloody napkin from the wounded hand and starting to wipe away at the blood with a damp cotton ball (from the same jar that had almost perilously crashed onto the floor moments earlier at the hands of Robin).

Regina shrugs, "I just fell on glass."

Dr. Whale pauses, looks up from her to Robin and then back down to her hand. "You're sure this was just an accident of clumsiness, because you're safe here if anyone's-"

"No!" She interrupts too abruptly and then adds quieter, "No it's not like that, we aren't even-he's just some random guy," she fumbles on her words and just forfeits shaking her head. "Nevermind, but no- these two animals got into a drunken brawl at the bar where I bartend and then I was trying to break up their fight and the bigger of the two brutes, shoved me back and I caught myself on my hands in the pile of broken beer bottle glass."

"Well, I suppose then I can save the rest of my domestic abuse prevention speech, but maybe I should give you a stranger danger one instead," Dr. Whale jokes and she moves slightly closer to Robin, of the two men who are strangers to her, he gives off less of an 'I experiment on my girlfriend's ex-boyfriend's bodies in my free time' vibe that was oozing off of Dr. Whale.

"Bartending is a dangerous art, then?" He asks attempting to make idle conversation to distract her as he begins to stitch up her hand, having numbed the area she feels no pain, but pressure, slight pressure as a needle weaves string through her flesh. The thought makes her shudder and he laughs.

"Yes, I suppose," She answers turning her face away so she does not have to watch him stitch her hand, focusing instead on the floor space in front of Robin's shoes, shoes which are suddenly moving and then his hand is on hers, squeezing lightly and she looks up at him and he shoots her a reassuring smile. She smiles gratefully and wraps her fingers around his hand appreciatively.

"Just a random guy, huh," She swears she hears Dr. Whale mutter under his breath but when she questions him he swears he did not speak and she figures it is best not to piss off the man stabbing her hand with a needle. (And the man in control of the pain pills she so desperately wants.)

Regina nods her head instead and soon her hand is fixed up, black stitches making her seem like one of Dr. Frankenstein's creations, and Dr. Whale places a bottle of pills in her hands, taking two out and handing her a small cup of water. "For the pain, because you don't feel it now but you will once the numbing spray wears off and trust me, you'll want those."

She hesitates momentarily, wondering if she should take pain pills or if she should tell the doctor about her past history of drug abuse. Regina decides that no, she won't. It's years behind her and she has overcome it, she is stronger now, she will not abuse these pills, she vows it. Regina pops the pills in her mouth and washes them down with the tiny paper cup filled to the brim with water, and hops off the bed, ready to get the hell out of here.

Robin leads her back outside and they stand a foot apart in the chilly air as he hails them a new cab. "We don't have to go drinking, you should probably just go home to your son, I doubt alcohol mixes well with the high those pain pills are sure to give you."

Regina startles for a moment thinking he knows something about her past and then she relaxes, realizes that pain pills are strong and he is simply making a broad assumption not labeling her. She shrugs, and maybe it's the haze the pills have given her or that she genuinely trusts him, and she could use a drink given the hell her night as been.

"No, I agreed to go drinking with you and drinking with you I shall go," She teases. "And I can take care of myself, thank you." He nods his head and motions for her to board the rusty cab that's parked curbside for them and she does so, mock curtsying as she passes him by.

The cab ride over to Brooklyn is passes by quickly, Robin and Regina finding out random details about each other, like how Robin has a scar that runs up his bicep from when he was in a bad car accident s a reckless teenager, but he had told his son he had wrestled a tiger and it got a good swipe in, making him instant hero material in his boy's eyes.

"You have a son?" Regina interrupts, sidetracking from his next gallivant tale he's telling her. Robin's jaw clenches and she realizes she has touched a nerve, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted," she apologizes weskly, biting gently on her bottom lip.

Robin shakes his hand, rubbing his hand over his knuckles and clearing his throat. "My son, died," He lowers his eyes from where they had been taking in her full effect. A true beauty, but that was hiding her darkness, he could see it. They are much alike, both have wars waging in their minds to drown out the screaming in their hearts, but pain is pain. And it's evident in her features, in everything, pain is like a disease, it taints you, and as much as you try and ignore it, push it aside, hide it away, it will only grow stronger until eventually all you are is an existence, because pain will find you. Pain will find you when you are relaxed and trying to sleep, pain will find you when you're laughing, a gentle reminder that you do not deserve to be this happy, pain will always find you.

"Robin, Robin!" Regina's urgent cries and tender hand, gripping him slightly and shaking him save him from the rest of his thoughts.

He shakes his head, rubbing his fingers in small circles over his temples. "I'm sorry, what-?"

"I was apologizing for bringing up the subject of your son and apologizing just because, you know when people say something shitty has happened to them in their life I don't know that's just what people do," She explains her eyes drooping slightly in the same adorable way they have been since she took those pain pills.

"Why do people say that?" He wonders latching on to anything that could possibly be a change in subject. She purses her lips, releasing him from her one-handed grip and leans back against the taxi seat.

"I don't know why," She decides promptly. "I mean why-"

"It's not like saying sorry changes anything-"

"And it doesn't bring the dead back from the dead, dead is dead-"

"It doesn't make anyone feel better-"

"No, it really doesn't," Regina agrees with a sad smile and they both sigh, welcoming the silence this time. The rest of the ride is under cover of silence and neither of them makes an attempt to change that until the cab driver informs them that they have reached their destination.

"I'll tell you about my son another time, but tonight, I just want to enjoy a couple drinks with a beautiful woman," Robin practically pleads with her, his blue orbs finding hers again and she smiles, a slow misleading smile that spreads into a full on grin and then she's laughing and he's laughing.

"You know you're rather presumptuous," She says in faux protest as he helps her out of the car and pays the cabbie, who takes off in a rush.

"Am I?" Robin asks, his brow quirking up as they start towards the entrance to this bar he's picked out. MacLaren's, the sign announces.

Regina nods dramatically, "Oh yes," she laughs and reaches for the door but Robin dodges forward and grabs it, stepping out of her way, ladies' first. He falls in line behind her, a hand on the small of her back guiding her towards the bar. She scans the room, taking in the crowd of people, young college girls standing with fruity drinks in tow and swarming around booths in the corner or the old jukebox machine in the back. In a one of the booths making the barrier that separates the empty floor space and bathrooms from the rest of the bar, sits a small group of six. Regina smiles at one woman with dark hair, curling slightly, she's older than Regina, and she smiles back, nods her head slightly before something the blond man wearing a suit says steals her attention away.

Regina takes the bar stool beside Robin and leans closer to him, mischief dancing in her every move. "But I like a man with confidence," She adds and he tilts his head, brows raised and mouth hanging open as if he wants to say something but does not know what to say to her so she just presses her lips together and winks.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" the bartender asks interrupting the two.

"Ah, yes, I'll take a whiskey and-" Robin glances at Regina as if she would need to order something lighter than the whiskey and she scoffs.

"Make that two," She gives a definitive nod and stares promptly back at Robin. She never could say no to a challenge. Robin grins and gods, he is a sight for sore eyes, and maybe it's the pills or maybe it's the lust, because it's been a long time, oh it's been such a long time. Focus.

"So," Regina flirts, biting on her lip. "Are you always this _charming?_"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," He chuckles and leans closer, their noses nearly touching and she wants to lean in, to close the distance and slam her lips against his (slam her whole body against his if she's being honest) but she restrains herself. Saved by the distraction of their drinks being placed before them and she grabs hers, lifts it to his.

"Cheers," the clink of glasses music to her ears. She gives him one last glance and simply smiles, then she's throwing her head back, whiskey scorching down her throat and she does not care, she'll show him who can take her whiskey. She gasp for air, slamming the now empty cup of whiskey onto the counter, eyes wide and pants for breath.

Robin stares at her like she is the most magnificent being to ever grace this earth, like he's been searching for her his whole life, and just a twinge of fear. "Well that's one way to take your liquor."

"Carl!" She says extending her fingers over the bar. The bartender laughs comically and replaces her empty whiskey glass with a new one and she raises it to her lips, sipping at it slowly, properly, this time. She has already shown Robin who he's dealing with now she can be civil and have a decent enough time.

"So, Miss Mills," Robin's voice lowers an octave, scratching in a way that makes her core burn.

"Deputy Locksley," Regina blinks her brown beauties up at him.

"Let's play a game," and he has her full attention, Regina Mills is nothing if not competitive. She straightens at his words, attentive through her haze.

"Okay," She agrees, compliantly.

"I want you to pretend you're a spider-" _A black widow, _Regina insists as she closes her eyes. He chuckles in her ear, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the bar counter. "Now spin yourself a beautiful web, now tell me how many insects you've caught, tell me what they're like."

"Two." She replies and he makes a mental note, two past lovers. "One is like one of those big ugly bugs with the things and the thing," she makes little clinchers with her fingers and places them against her cheeks and laughs. "He's an asshole bug. The other one is blue and just a little bug."

"Now one of them gets away which one?"

"The blue bug."

"If he could talk what would he say?" Robin inquires.

"He wouldn't say anything," She concludes opening her eyes, and wiping at a hint of a tear. "The blue bug gets away but he dies right as he's escaping. The black widow eats the other bug and then she's alone, perfectly perfect on her perfect spider web." Regina downs her second glass of whiskey and shakes her whole body, there it is, now she feels it.

Robin studies her in awe, his semester of psychology giving him insight into her beautiful and complex mind, that she keeps hidden away but it holds the secrets to her heart, the one she seems to have forgotten she has.

"Now what?" She asks excitedly.

"Nothing," He says, "That was the game."

She pouts her bottom lip out, "That was a stupid game." And so their evening goes, drink after drink. They change it up, have a round of shots, and then sip at some specialty drink for a while before deciding that it is horrible and no one should have to endure that drink ever again.

The bar empties out, the time flies back, the sky darkening and in the back of her mind she thinks about Henry but she remembers that she would not even be off work yet so she is allowed to stay out and enjoy herself at the very least until her shift would have been over. The stool swivels beside her and Robin is on his feet, stumbling off-kilter, but catching his balance and he extends his hand to her, a sly grin on his face.

"Regina, would you give me this dance?" Robin even bows slightly looking at her just above his palm. She chuckles, truly chuckles, and sets down her drink she had been sipping at (more or less when she was not just chewing on the tiny black straw in it) and gets somewhat standing, taking his hand and letting him lead her over to the area of the bar that is just empty floor space. It's not much, just a few square feet of walking space before you reach the hallways that holds the bathrooms, but its perfect for now, for this moment.

"It's a good thing I'm drunk, Locksley," Regina giggles as she joins him on the dance floor to the up tempo song that's playing. They dance. Drunkenly grinding and shaking their bodies in ways that would surely humiliate them come morning and laughing, falling, taking twice as long to stand back up and get the world to stop spinning but from this cloud of passion and then as the old jukebox changes songs and she closes her eyes listening to the music. Her body stills and before either of them realizes it they are in each other's arms.

_And all I can taste is this moment. _

_And all I can breathe is your life. _

"And why is that?" He clears his throat, "Why is it good you're drunk?" His voice is soothing in her ear and somewhere in the back of her mind she wants to run, in fact she _would _run but she does not want to run, even if she knows she should. Knows she would be better off, because no one's ever truly cared for her in the past, not the way she had cared for the ghosts of her past, and now, now she did not know what to do with affection.

_When sooner or later it's over. _

_I just don't wanna miss you tonight. _

"Because you're some strange man who's friends got into a fight at the bar where I work, because you're a man who's interested in me and I don't do men," She speaks of men as if they are drinks and she does not daytime drink. "I don't do this- whatever _this _is."

_And I don't want the world to see me._

'_Cause I don't think that they'd understand. _

"What's different about you now?" He asks as they spin around the floor, not really dancing but not really _not _dancing. Standing in each other's embrace, swaying and shuffling their feet along the wood floors.

_When everything's made to be broken._

_I just want you to know who I am. _

"I don't know," She confesses raising her head from his shoulder and smiling up at him, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "It's just strangely different here, right now, with you."

He leans in close to her ear pulling her closer by the waist, lips brushing against her neck and he places soft kisses along her jawline, up her throat, over the edges of her lips, her nose, before returning to her ear. "Let's get out of here." She can barely nod before they are heading out the door.

Robin fumbles with his keys, Regina giggling hysterically behind him at his inability to unlock his own door and he turns shushing her (and even that manages to be slurred in his current state) as if that will help him get the damned key into the door. She ducks her head and bites on her lip and for a moment he abandons the key, abandons the door, and takes her into his arms, biting on her own lip for her, sucking it between his teeth, burying his fingers into her hair and she catches up quickly. Starting forward and looping her fingers through his pant belt loops and shoving her hips against his, he's already half hard for her and she smiles seductively.

"Get a room or I'm calling the cops!" a gruff old man's voice interrupts them and Regina grunts in protest, turning to glare at whoever dare disturb them.

Robin laughs and waves his hand as best he can and nods his head, his lips tickling her ear as he informs her, "That would be my neighbor, _Gold._" Robin turns then and grasps his doorknob in his hand, he twists and the door opens. "Unlocked!" He tells her and starts to laugh again. "It was unlocked!" She starts to babble with laughter again and Robin scoops her up into his arms, carrying her inside cradled against his chest and kicking the door closed behind them.

Regina kisses hungrily along his neck, working her way up and down his throat until she reaches his collarbone, sucking at his pulse point and eliciting a small moan from him. He grasps her chin, tilting it up, meeting her lips with his own, as he drops her back onto her own two feet, splaying his hands along the small of her back and pulling her closer, closer, closer. His fingers ghosting over her neck as their lips brush together. She shivers, pulls back and brushes her nose against his, nudging into the hollow of his cheek.

"Are you going to make out with me like a school boy all night or are you going to fuck me?" Regina husks her fingers wandering increasingly lower, and she's palming him through his jeans, the devil dancing in the silver reflection of moonlight in her dark eyes.

Robin does not need any more goading, taking her back into his arms, gods how he loves the feel of her, not even bare, just her intoxicating presence is enough for him, he thinks. He places a finger on her lips, tilting his head to the side teasingly as if in thought and lets his breath tickle her ear before speaking. "As you wish, milady."

He takes her by the wrist and she feels light, giddy even, but that may just be the pain pills, alcohol and prospect of being had by a man after the drought she was going through mixing together. He props open the bedroom door and pulls her through behind him, leading her to the bed. She pushes him back onto the bed, sinking to her knees, her dark eyes never leaving his and she shoves a hand between his legs, raising up slightly and parting her lips to take his zipper between her teeth when she feels his hands on her, hooking beneath her shoulders and raising her up, changing the game up on her and laying her out on the bed before him.

A masterpiece in her own right. The way the light hits her, the mischief in her eyes, the lust, the yearning, for _him_. He lowers himself, rucking his fingers into her pant loops and yanks them off, the way Regina's breath hitches in her throat does not go past him. His fingertips skim her thighs, his lips following peppering her legs with warm wet kisses and she trembles beneath him, breathing heavily, as his fingers curl beneath the cloth covering her sex and she bolts up, shaking her head, even in her drunken haze, maybe only because of her drunken haze would she be this bold.

Robin drops his hands instantly backing away from her but she reaches out, catches his arm and pulls him back. "I'm sorry," she whispers lightly, innocently, an air to her that she lacked earlier. "I just-" a loose lock of hair falls to her face now and she pushes it back, back behind her ear, batting her eyes up at him and then no, she can not look him in the eyes. "I've never done- I just it's never been about _me_." She fumbles, tripping over her own words, clawing her fingers through her hair, raking them over her skin, her own frustration at her incompetency to form a coherent sentence growing.

"I just- I've done this, but I've never done _this_," She tries again and he cocks his head to the side studying her, pursing his lips in thought.

"You've never been pleasured before," He states simply.

She shakes her head, a ghost of a _nope _falling from her lips. "I was the pleasurer in that marriage, it was never about me, I don't really know- I just-" she let's out another exasperated sigh and he shushes her, taking a seat on the bed beside her and cupping her face in his arms. He presses a kiss to her temples, and promises, "Only when you're ready."

Regina startles at that, her hands gripping his biceps, holding his hands to her, "Really?"

Robin furrows his brows, who had taken this precious woman before him without her being ready, without her wanting it, who had hurt her? Her husband? Robin practiced his self control in refraining himself from curling his hands into fist, which would surely scare her off.

"I will never hurt you Regina Mills," He vows. "You say when."

She studies him for a moment, takes him in, the strength he has she judges that he could force her by sheer brute strength if he wanted to, but he was choosing not to. She is wary at first, unsure of herself as she leans in slowly and he does not move, let's her come to him, and then she knows, _feels_ that she's safe with him, and when her lips meet his the fiery passion driven rhythm of earlier is reignited in her, in them.

They kiss languidly for a minute, satisfied with the gentle, intimacy a kiss relinquishes and then Robin tenderly lays her back down along the bed, propping himself on his elbow as he lets his hand coast above her neckline, tracing gently over the contours of her breasts, roaming lower, tugging her shirt to the side and letting his fingers splay over the tender flesh of her abdomen; flesh to flesh. He wants more of her, to pleasure her but not to pressure her so he stops, letting his fingers trail sensually along the length of skin just above the cotton lining of her cheeky underwear, pulling back, just a hair's length and she nods her head, nose brushing his skin, and he smiles sinfully.

He rotates his body, his lips planting soft kisses on her neck, his fingers raking down her body, leaving where they had been anchored in her dark heavenly tresses. She moans as he ravages her pulse point, releasing the skin and biting then planting wet sloppy kisses over it. His hands find her blouse and again he lifts his head slightly but she pushes him back, a hushed _please_ falling from her lips. With pleasure, he wants to add. Robin starts with the buttons on her shirt and then she surprises him, her hand grasping the fabric and tearing it straight off, letting it fall from her fingers over the edge of the bed.

Robin grips her body by the rib cage running his parted lips down over her abdomen, dipping his tongue into her navel, making her squirm. He takes his time, worshipping every inch of her body, something that should have been done long before. He feels her breath in her throat as his lips ghost over her hip, a hand dipping between her legs, helping her free herself of her cheeky under garments. He affectionately caresses her curves with his palms, lifting his head one last time to let her stop him, he desperately wants her to want this, he wants to take care of her.

_Please, Robin, _and that's all he needed to hear.

He lowers his lips to the tops of her thighs, taking the skin between his teeth, giving it a few swift licks, before placing another one, closer to where she is burning, where she needs him if her clawing at the sheets is any indication. Gods, she is a sight, her back arching as the silver light illuminates her olive toned skin, dark raven hair tresses framing her face, luscious lips parted in a pant. He swipes a finger through her folds and she mewls desperately at the tease, she's slick and needy. Her hips jerk, searching for the friction she craves.

Robin's fingers press into her sides and he flicks his tongue through her folds. Regina yelps, her fingers tangling into his hair, hips thrusting towards him and he takes her, sucking her clit, lapping hungrily at her, hooking his arm beneath the crook of her knee and situating her legs on his shoulders. She moans and he grins devilishly.

"Oh, gods," Regina keens, pulling at his hair, face scrunched up in ecstasy. Robin can not help but feel prideful, _he's _doing this to her, _he's_ pleasuring her the way she never rightly was. He moans, _gods, you're so beautiful, Regina, _he husks darkly. _So so beautiful. _

He rubs little circles over her clit and then inserts two fingers and groan. She's slick and slippery between her folds, wet from his spit where he lapped and kissed and nipped. He curls his fingers and she cries out, pleads for more, and he happily obliges. He removes his fingers for just a moment, she hisses at the loss of contact. He smiles smugly at his effect on her. She's about to ask him what the hell he thinks he's doing when he re-inserts them adding a third finger. _Yesss_ she purrs silkily.

He knows she's close, can feel it in the way she tenses around his fingers. He changes the angle, knowing he's hitting just that spot (wondering if she's ever been pleasured there before), and continues pumping in to her, careening her closer and closer to the edge.

Regina cries out and it's like shockwaves rippling through her as a fire pools low in her abdomen, she has never experienced something so earth stoppingly wonderful. _Fuck- oh fuck, Robin, fuck, oh god, yes, oh fuck- oh-_ she clenches around his fingers and finds her release, hips jerking and he holds her, helps her ride out her orgasm, letting her down easy.

Regina lays limply, catching her breath as Robin rises back on to the bed. This is what sex is supposed to feel like, she finally knows it, and he hasn't even been inside her yet. She smiles and he smiles back, "I've never-" she giggles and blushes turning her head away.

"And I haven't even fucked you properly, yet," Robin teases sinfully, eyes dark with desire. For the first time in a long time, she's glad she's relinquished control. She just grins, places her hands gingerly on his face, stroking his cheeks, and kisses him slowly. The taste of his lips is foreign, and it takes a moment to realize it's _her_.

This realizations stirs a fire in her and she reaches to him, her fingers coiling tightly in his neck hairs, crashing him back down against her and he rises up on to the bed, hovering over her, his length hard against her stomach and she takes him in her left hand. He groans, leans into her touch and she brings her stitched hand, using her arm to pull his hips down harder to hers. She wants him, _needs _him now.

"Are you-" he pants and she cuts him off nodding. He pulls back, leans across her into his nightstand drawer and retrieving a condom package. She feels him lining up against her and then he's sinking into her and she's gasping, gods, it's been so long. She's tight and he gives her time to adjust, pumping slowly into her until she's hot and needy, clawing at his shoulders with her left hand, moaning and writhing breathless, and needing more. His lips are on hers again, fingers in her hair and she squirms uncomfortably as he crushed her hurt hand, he feels her tense up and pulls back.

"Sorry," she laughs and moves her hand, extending it out to the side. "Okay, continue." Robin stares down at her laughing devilishly but obliges, leaning back down and pressing soft kisses to her, and they fall into a perfect rhythm that has him hitting just that spot in her and she moans audibly, tries to stifle it but he assures her, encourages her, that she should be loud.

"Let me hear you, you stunning," his lips trail down her neck, "beautiful," sucking in the sweet tender skin at her collarbone, hand traveling down to her clit, because he's not going to last much longer and he wants her to come for him again, wants to _make _her come again. "creature," and her hips jerk up against his, creating more friction just where she needs it and that's enough. "That's it, Regina," He husks.

Regina turns her head to the side feeling her orgasm coming, falling back into the pattern of her life as the body for her ex-husband, turning her head so he doesn't have to see her but then there's a hand on her chin, pulling her back and her eyes blink open confusion written in the knit of her eyebrows, and _oh, fuck-_ she pants, whines desperately, afraid of letting him watch her.

"You're beautiful, Regina," Robin promises, returning to pressing kisses all over her. Her collarbone, the arch of her brow, her right temple, her left. She tenses around him and the pleasure washes over her, rocking through her body and she can't help it, can't move, eyes screwing shut as for the second time this night orgasm overtakes her, shockwaves of electricity pulsing through her and she moans noisily. Robin peaks shortly after her, burying himself deep within her, and then for a moment they both lay there, breathless, breathing the other in, flesh to flesh, foreheads touching and then he rolls off of her. She does not make an attempt to leave or move and Robin curls beneath the covers, drawing her into his arms and she does not protest.

Regina stares at this man in disbelief, this man who might as well be a god to her because she did not know sex could be like- like _that. _She had been having vanilla sex and she never even knew it, never knew what she was missing until she went to the shop and all they had was superman flavor, and gods was it great.

"Thank you." She gasps.

"Don't thank me for giving what you deserve, Regina," Robin tells her softly, pressing one last kiss into her hair before they fall asleep.

Regina wakes up and the first thing that registers is the pounding in her skull, as if it's trying to split itself apart from the inside out and second, the scorching pain in the palm of her right hand. Only after those two things have registered does she realize where she is, and what she's not wearing, and who she never went home to and shit, shit, _shit! _This was not meant to happen, she agreed to a date, not a sleepover, but as she recalls the details of last night regret is not one of the emotions racing through her mind. She redresses in a blur of movements and pulls out her phone, and fuck! Where are the pain pills, if she does not do something about her hand she may just cut it off!

Seven missed calls from Ashley. _Fuck. _She calls her back, cradling the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she slides her jeans back on, working at the buttons with only one hand usable, when Robin saunters in, yawning.

"Look who's finally woken up," He greets with a smug grin on his face and she glares playfully.

"Hello? Regina?" Ashley yawns.

"Ashley! Hey-"

"Henry, isn't up yet, if you're calling about that, and don't worry-"

"I'm so sorry, Ashley, I should have called I just- I had some really strong pain pills for my hand and crashed with, er," She sucks in her bottom lip and gives Robin a glance over before adding, "with a _friend_. I'm on my way over."

"Okay, Ms. M, I'll see you then," Ashley chirps happily and Regina is only mildly irritated by that and it's mostly her hangover speaking. She hangs up and pockets her phone, channeling all her focus to her damned pant buttons and Robin walks forward, brushing her hand away and buttoning them for her.

"Thank you," She sighs with relief and starts past him.

"I can make a mean french toast and coffee if your head hurts as much as mine, oh! And here," he reaches over to the bed stand where he had laid out two of her pain pills and fresh water when he had woken up this morning, pressing them into her hands. "You probably need them right about now. Who knows, maybe it will even help with the hangover."

"Bless you," She utters as she throws back the pills and washes them down with the cool refreshing better. "And the french toast sounds amazing but I really have to go." Regina pushes past him without another word and then stops as she stands in his front doorway, under the small terrace the building has. "I'll- I'll call you." And with that Regina Mills does something she had only ever made fun of in her life. She takes the walk of shame back to her apartment with a shit eating smile on her face the whole time.


End file.
